Questions For Surgeon

[mylastchance21 82]

Hi Everyone!

I meet the surgeon for the first time tomorrow (well today)!! I'm so excited and scared at the same time. This has been a long journey so far and I still have a ways to go. I'm hoping for a surgery date in November as I have 2 more visits left with nutrition. I'm also nervous that the surgeon is going to say I need to have the bypass versus the sleeve (what I really want) because of my starting weight

So I wanted to get some ideas on important questions I should ask the surgeon or questions that maybe you wish you would have asked but didn't!

And did anyone's surgeon recommend 1 surgery but you chose another?

I would definitely appreciate your responses

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[cbonet 336]

From reading the blogs I should have asked about antinaceous medication and if he's using the abdominal block. My surgery is 9/13 so I'm going to call now and ask

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[Hiraeth 515]

I asked my surgeon everything that I wanted to ask. That's strange that he recommends the bypass. I know of people who were over 500 pounds who were successful with the sleeve.

[kmorri 1,689]

You should be ready to tell him why you want the sleeve over the bypass......and what your concerns are regarding bypass. I wouldn't worry unless the sleeve is medically not the right choice for you he'll agree with you.....For example if you currently have severe acid reflux the sleeve wouldn't be a good choice...So just be ready to discuss it with him.

As far as questions for him just make a list of anything you want to ask because when you get in there you're going to forget. Have them jotted down so you can make sure you ask.....you'll probably want to know things like, what type of pre-op diet he does, how long is the surgery, how long of a hospital stay, how many incisions he usually does???.....just write it all down.

Good luck to you!!!

[knowmydestiny 13]

Yay! I had mine yesterday. I have to go with the bypass for 2 reasons. I have Gerd and Barretts Esophagus. He told me that the bypass is recommended when someone has Barretts because if throat cancer is found later on and they need to perform surgery, having the stomach still available is essential for a better outcome. The excess portion of the stomach is removed with the sleeve and therefore not available for future needs. Keep your options open for the 2 of you to decide what's best. I have a tentative date for 10/5 if insurance approves.

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[James Marusek 5,244]

When you discuss the surgeon's recommendation for the type of surgery, make sure you ask him/her about the rationale. You seem to already have your mind made up, but you need to understand why the surgeon is making a certain recommendation.

Sometimes there are very good reasons why he/she is making a particular recommendation. Sometimes the decision is optional. Sometimes the decision is based on expertise, what type of surgery the surgeon has the most expertise with. Sometimes the decision is not even driven by the surgeon but by your insurance. Some insurances cover one type of surgery but not another.

[Djmohr 6,965]

@@mylastchance21

Your surgeon should not push you into the bypass for weight alone. Both the sleeve and the bypass deliver excellent weight loss outcomes. The biggest difference is bypass typically happens a little faster but in the end both surgeries can handle massive weight loss.

That being said, there are other reasons related to your health that your doctor might push you toward bypass. Mine did and I am thankful everyday that I made the decision to have bypass over sleeve. The biggest one for me was gerd. I had it severely and had I had the sleeve it could have made it even worse because of the design of the surgery. My gerd is resolved 100% and has been since the day I got out of surgery.

Also all my other comorbitities are in remission.

If he recommends it for a reason, do your research. I know I was so upset when it happened to me and then I started researching the benefits of bypass and I found I was afraid of things that honestly were not important. I was mostly afraid of the malabsorption that comes with bypass. Then I learned that all of us have to take Vitamins for life even sleevers. All of us have to go for blood tests at 3,6,12,18 months and every 12 months after that for life.

Once I understood that RNY (the gold standard in WLS) was the best option for me, I felt fantastic about it and was excited for the day I had it. I also knew that I wanted to have 1 surgery and be done. Had I went with the sleeve anyway, and my gerd was not cured, I would have ended up needing a revision to RNY anyway.....I did not want that.

I have since lost all of my excess weight, 152lbs. I currently weight 158 and have been maintaining since March of this year.

Best of luck to you and I hope all goes well. Both options are excellent and will give you the weight loss you likely need.

[mylastchance21 82]

Thanks so much everyone!! I just met with a fellow of the program, still waiting on the surgeon! Super busy today. However, the fellow answered a lot of my questions!

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